Chapter 17: Almost Exposed
Seeing the boy crying so miserably, Li Jianyu smiled to himself and went forward to coax him.
Under the two men’s threats and inducements, a mix of carrots and sticks, the boy finally spoke in a small voice.
“My grandma is sick… I originally wanted to earn silver for my grandma, but Old Man Wu wouldn’t let me work, so I… so I…” Now that he had started, the boy simply threw caution to the wind. “I beg you two sirs! Give me the silver in the pouch, let me save my grandma, please! After I buy medicine for my grandma, I’ll be your ox and horse. Although I’m young, I can really work! And I can even read!”
Li Jianyu smiled. “Take us to your grandma’s house. If what you say is true, I will give you the pouch. How about it?”
“Ah…? C-can I?” The boy was somewhat overwhelmed by the favor and stared blankly at Li Jianyu.
Li Jianyu nodded.
The boy was overjoyed. He sniffled, pulled himself together, and led the two of them up the mountain.
After passing through a forest, what came into view was not the dilapidated hut Li Jianyu had imagined, but a temple!
Li Jianyu and Zhao Linxu exchanged a glance.
What was going on?
“This is your home?”
“Yes, my grandma and I live here.”
The temple looked very old and simple. There were only a few sticks of incense inside, perhaps offered by the boy and his grandmother themselves.
What surprised Li Jianyu was that the carvings on the walls and pillars were not of the usual dragons or gods found in temples, but of phoenixes. Phoenixes with wings spread in flight, phoenixes resting, phoenixes in various forms, all lifelike. And on the altar before them was a statue of a bird-person. The so-called bird-person had a human-like form but with a pair of wings on its back, in the posture of taking off.
Perhaps an outsider might not recognize what it was, at most thinking it was some kind of large bird. But Li Jianyu had been close to phoenixes since he came to this world; how could he not recognize it?
“Does no one usually come to this temple?” Zhao Linxu asked, looking at the altar and the dust everywhere.
“No… It’s just me and my grandma here.” The boy thought for a moment. “I’ve never seen anyone come, and the people in the village don’t know about it either. I told them, and they said my grandma doesn’t worship a god.”
Li Jianyu frowned slightly.
Phoenixes were indeed not gods.
“Grandma!”
The boy went around the dilapidated temple to a small courtyard connected to the back. The courtyard was large with many sections, but it was in disrepair. It was either collapsed and leaking or covered in moss. Only one room was still habitable.
Li Jianyu and Zhao Linxu followed the boy into the room in the small courtyard and saw a withered old woman lying on the bed.
“Little Jiu’er…”
The old woman’s voice was weak. She smiled faintly. “Where did you go? You even brought guests…”
“They said they can get grandma treatment!”
The old woman was stunned and turned her head with some difficulty to look at Li Jianyu and Zhao Linxu.
“Hello, Grandma. I am the Lord of Luoye City, Li Jianyu.” Li Jianyu sat down on the wooden chair by the bed and said softly, “Why are you and your grandson living here alone? You can go to the village. The village has a charity hall, and Little Jiu’er can go to school. Grandma, you can’t work anymore. Little Jiu’er can go to school without needing silver.”
Li Jianyu felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.
He hadn’t expected that there were people living in such hardship under his jurisdiction.
“City Lord… is it?” The old woman squinted, trying to see Li Jianyu’s face clearly.
“Yes.” Li Jianyu lowered his head slightly.
“Ah…! Ah!” The old woman was suddenly startled. Her eyes widened, and she desperately grabbed Li Jianyu’s hand, murmuring softly, “Phoenix, phoenix…”
The voice wasn’t loud, but Li Jianyu heard it, and his heart couldn’t help but tremble.
“Little Jiu’er, take that gentleman out… outside…”
The old woman dazedly pointed at Little Jiu’er.
“Alright!”
Seeing that the old woman seemed to have something to say, Zhao Linxu didn’t insist and left with Little Jiu’er.
The simple little room had only a bed, a table, and a chair. The old woman’s clothes were neatly folded under the bed, and there was a half-burnt candle on the table.
Only the old woman and Li Jianyu were left. The old woman was still holding Li Jianyu’s hand, which was trembling slightly.
“Grandma… do you know me?”
The old woman sighed, her eyes fixed on Li Jianyu. “I don’t know you, but I recognize the bloodline in your body…”
“Child, you are a phoenix.”
Li Jianyu paused.
“Grandma, you’re mistaken,” Li Jianyu said. “You see, like you, I have a face and four limbs, and no feathers on my body.”
Perhaps because I’ve been with the phoenixes for many years, I carry their scent, which is why the old woman mistook me, Li Jianyu thought.
“No, no, a phoenix doesn’t have to be as you say. Phoenixes that have absorbed a hundred years of sun and moon can become spirits. They can take human form and look no different from humans. And you… child, you have both phoenix blood and human blood in you. You are the offspring of a phoenix spirit and a human.”
The old woman took a few breaths before she had the strength to continue. She patted the back of Li Jianyu’s hand. “Your parents, one of them was a phoenix!”
Li Jianyu stared blankly at the old woman.
Li Jianyu tried hard to recall any clues about his parents. After he transmigrated to this strange world, his parents were already gone. The original owner was raised by his uncle.
His uncle had once told him that the original owner’s father had died of illness when he was two, and his other father had disappeared after losing his husband, and no one had ever seen him again. Yes, the original owner had no mother, but two fathers. At that time, it had taken Li Jianyu a while to digest the fact that men in this world could give birth.
“Mythical beasts should be immortal. The Li family has been no different from ordinary people for generations. My father also died of illness, so he probably wasn’t a phoenix? My other father, perhaps…” Li Jianyu thought for a moment. “My uncle once said that my father was unusually beautiful, and his appearance never aged.”
“That’s right. Phoenixes are all like that, with nation-toppling beauty and immortality.”
Li Jianyu frowned slightly.
If he was the child of a phoenix, would he also be immortal?
The concept of immortality was very foreign to Li Jianyu. He had only seen it in movies. And movies usually portrayed it as very bleak, saying that immortal people walked alone in the river of time, watching all their loved ones leave and die, leaving only themselves behind.
Seeing Li Jianyu lower his head, lost in thought, the old woman smiled. “Don’t you believe what this old woman says?”
Li Jianyu looked up slightly.
“Grandma, how do you know all this?”
“A long, long time ago, before the dynasties were established, there were mythical beasts on land, in the sea, and in the air. They lived in peace with humans and created civilization.” The old woman seemed to find it a little difficult to talk while lying down, so she propped herself up with her hands. Li Jianyu reached out to help her.
The old woman leaned against the head of the bed. “It’s a pity that humans became more and more greedy, coveting the divine power of the mythical beasts, wanting to enslave them. They wanted the jiaoren to give them expensive pearls, and the phoenixes to give up their hearts of immortality… And so, a war broke out. The mythical beasts fought with the humans. The number of mythical beasts was already small, and after the war, it became even smaller.”
[T/N:Jiaoren: Mythical creatures in Chinese folklore, similar to mermaids or sirens. They are said to weep tears that turn into pearls.]
“Later, it was my ancestor, the divine shaman He Ju’s lineage, who persuaded the king of the mythical beasts to lead them into seclusion. The pixiu hid in the clouds, the black tortoise hid in the deep sea… And so, the war slowly stopped, and the world became as it is today.”
[T/N: Pixiu: A mythical Chinese creature that resembles a winged lion. It’s a powerful protector and is believed to attract wealth.
Black Tortoise: One of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is a mythical creature that is a combination of a tortoise and a snake, representing the north, winter, and the element of water.]
“Now, not many people know that mythical beasts truly exist.” The old woman smiled. “Perhaps it’s for the best.”
Li Jianyu didn’t know what to say and just quietly looked at the old woman.
“The mission of our He Ju clan is to protect the mythical beasts, but my time is short…” The old woman smiled and shook her head. “Otherwise, I could also serve you. In order to ensure the purity of our bloodline and the preservation of our magical abilities, we married within the clan. But because of this, only Little Jiu’er and I are left…”
Li Jianyu said, “I will take care of you and Little Jiu’er. I will take you down the mountain.”
The old woman had guarded the phoenix temple for her entire life, even though its glory was long gone.
But regardless of whether the old woman was a divine shaman or not, he would extend a helping hand to them.
“No, no… This old woman doesn’t have many days left to live. I really don’t want to go through all that trouble. I only ask one thing of you.” The old woman held Li Jianyu’s hand and said seriously, “Please take care of Little Jiu’er. Little Jiu’er is the little divine shaman of the He Ju family. And you are a phoenix. With him by your side, you will be better off. He will definitely be useful to you.”
Li Jianyu shook his head. “I will take you down the mountain to see the imperial physician.”
“Child… don’t you understand? I am a sorceress. I know how many days I have left. My fate is set, and it cannot be changed. Let me pass away peacefully in this temple. After I die, bury me behind the temple. This is the glory of the He Ju.”
Li Jianyu bit his lower lip, not knowing how to reply. So, he simply didn’t reply and stood up to leave the room.
Outside, Zhao Linxu and Little Jiu’er, one big and one small, were sitting on the steps of the courtyard, playing with stones.
Little Jiu’er no longer seemed afraid of Zhao Linxu and was even playing happily with him.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Li Jianyu’s pale face, Zhao Linxu patted Little Jiu’er’s head. “Go in and talk to your grandma.”
After Little Jiu’er obediently left, Li Jianyu sat down beside Zhao Linxu. “The old grandma wants me to take Little Jiu’er down the mountain and take care of him. After all, it’s not good for a child to grow up in the mountains all year round.”
“That’s right,” Zhao Linxu nodded.
“But she doesn’t want to leave herself.” Li Jianyu lowered his eyes. “This is a phoenix temple, and the old grandma is a sorceress who protects the mythical beasts. She says she has magical powers and knows that her time is short.”
“A sorceress?” Zhao Linxu was stunned.
In any case, Zhao Linxu was not a bad person, and this wasn’t a secret. So, Li Jianyu omitted the part about himself being a phoenix and relayed what the old woman had said to Zhao Linxu.
“I see… but,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile, “it’s more likely that the old grandma is attached to this place. She can’t bear to leave.”
Li Jianyu turned to look at Zhao Linxu.
“Don’t blame yourself. What we think is good is not necessarily good for others. Since she insists, what we can do is send some food and daily necessities to let the old grandma live out the last part of her life in peace.”
Looking at Zhao Linxu’s open-mindedness, Li Jianyu felt the slight discomfort in his heart disappear.
“You’re right.”
The two of them returned to the room and saw Little Jiu’er crying in the old woman’s arms. It seemed the old woman had told Little Jiu’er that he had to go down the mountain alone.
Little Jiu’er turned his head and saw the two of them. His little face crumpled, and he looked like he was about to cry again.
“Little Jiu’er, be good,” the old woman said. “Be obedient. What did Grandma teach you before?”
Little Jiu’er sobbed, “Life… life and death are set, meetings and partings have their reasons… woo…”
After saying this, Little Jiu’er couldn’t hold it in anymore, and tears fell patter-patter. In the end, Little Jiu’er was still just a little child with a milky voice. So, he simply covered his eyes and fled the room in embarrassment.
The old woman sighed softly.
“Why not let Little Jiu’er stay here for a few more days?” Li Jianyu really couldn’t bear it.
“Your arrival is the guidance of fate. The phoenix temple is so remote, yet you still came. Today is the day.” The old woman was surprisingly stubborn.
Seeing that Li Jianyu and the old woman had nothing more to say, Zhao Linxu politely asked, “Grandma, may I ask you a few questions?”
Li Jianyu’s body stiffened.
Sure enough, he saw Zhao Linxu walk to the bedside and ask, “Excuse me, if a person has a phoenix tattoo on their body, are they a descendant of a phoenix or the incarnation of a phoenix?”
Holy shit!
Li Jianyu desperately tried to give the old woman a meaningful look, but the old woman was old and her eyes were dim. How could she see it?
“Ah… This old woman is not sure about that.”
Li Jianyu has a phoenix tattoo on his body, the old woman thought, and this person who came with him doesn’t know. It seems Li Jianyu doesn’t want to tell him. If the master doesn’t want to say it, how can she?
Li Jianyu breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Linxu seemed a little disappointed and pressed on, “Then are there any other sorceresses like you nearby? She’s not tall and has a face full of pockmarks.”
“This old woman has never heard of such a person. I’m sorry…” This, the old woman really didn’t know.
“It’s no matter.”
Zhao Linxu sighed softly.
Behind him, Li Jianyu was thanking his lucky stars.
Living in fear every day, this life was really hard!
